


Keeping You Safe

by Crysty09



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 18:48:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12138810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crysty09/pseuds/Crysty09
Summary: A/N: So this is based on an idea for a plot posted as a comment by dxshxta on Tumblr and I couldn’t get it out of my mind until I wrote it!It’s AU in the fact that they broke up before the events at the end of episode 13! I hope this does the idea justice!Also, it is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.





	Keeping You Safe

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this is based on an idea for a plot posted as a comment by dxshxta on Tumblr and I couldn’t get it out of my mind until I wrote it!
> 
> It’s AU in the fact that they broke up before the events at the end of episode 13! I hope this does the idea justice!
> 
> Also, it is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Betty stared open-mouthed at Jughead as he finished his speech and climbed out of the booth at Pop’s, turning to leave her. She could feel tears burning behind her eyes, her throat feels tight, “Juggie, please, don’t go,” she pleads at his retreating back. She thought she saw him pause for a second,his shoulders taut with tension, but then he sighs.

Without turning around he murmurs, “Sorry Betts.” And then he is gone; leaving her alone in the booth, tears streaming down her cheeks, her perfect ponytail bobbing as she sobs.

~The Next Day~

Jughead woke up on a dank mattress in FP’s trailer and for a second, everything is alright. Then the events of the previous evening comes rushing back to him, hitting him like a bus. He thought about the happy look on Betty’s face when she had walked into Pop’s to have dinner with him; she was always so pleased to see him and the smile that she gave him made his heart melt. God he was going to miss that smile. 

He groaned, his hands coming up to run over his face as he sat up. Jughead’s throat burned as he remembered the words he had said to Betty as she sipped her milkshake.

_“Betty, this just isn’t going to work. Now that I am on the Southside and you’re still on the Northside. We are just too different,” he had started. He then watched as a myriad of emotions crossed through Betty’s eyes; shock, fear, sadness, pain, before finally settling on anger. She glared at him for a full minutes before she even spoke._

Jughead shook his head, trying to push that memory away. He checked his phone. He had a missed call from Archie and a few texts informing him that he was an asshole for hurting Betty the way he did. With a huff, he tossed the phone back down on the nightstand. He didn’t need Archie telling him shit; Archie didn’t know anything about the situation. 

Betty finally woke up from a fitful sleep, her eyes felt like they were full of sand and her stomach ached. She had cried off and on all evening; calling Veronica as soon as she had made her way back to her house after being left alone in the booth at Pop’s. Her friend had stayed with her, comforting her and trying to ease the pain in Betty’s chest. Now Betty could hear Veronica sitting in the arm chair in her bedroom, texting furiously. The blonde didn’t want to talk yet so she stayed quiet and let her mind wander back to the night before.

_Jughead’s words had caught her off-guard; everything between them had been going fine. Then out of nowhere, he had ended it. His words had been harsh, “I am a serpent now,” he had told her, “and you are the perfect girl next door.” Betty had visibly cringed at the use of the word perfect. Jughead knew that she hated that word and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Seriously?” she almost growled at him, “This is what you’re doing? You and I both know that is bull shit Jug.” He continued, “I know that soon you will get tired of fighting the all of the powers that be and you will want to move on. I am just saving you the trouble.” he told her, his voice void of any emotion. Betty felt her heart clench at the way he seemed so detached from the situation. Her anger dissolved to sadness as he looked her in the eye one last time and spoke, “Goodbye Betty.” Then he stood to walk out._

A small sob escaped Betty as she replayed the conversation in her mind, causing Veronica to look over at her. “Oh B,” she heard the brunette say quietly but she didn’t turn to look at her, not wanting Veronica to see that there were fresh tears brimming in her eyes. She felt the bed sink beside her a second later and Veronica pulled her into a hug. 

Once the tears subsided, Betty pulled herself up off of her bed and gave Veronica a weak smile, “I think I need a shower,” she announced as she stood, “ and then I have homework I should start on.” 

Veronica arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her friend, “B, I think the homework could probably wait until tomorrow,” she said, tentatively.

Betty shook her head, “No I need to get it done and it will be a good distraction from everything. You can stay if you want, but you don’t have to V, I’m sure Archie is dying to see you.” She smiled again, this time it was more believable and she turned and left the bedroom without another look back.

~One week later~

After the first day, Betty had thrown herself into her school work, determined to keep her mind on anything besides Jughead. She had finished all of her homework that was currently due, as well as tackling a few projects that weren’t due until the end of the semester. She had written quite a few articles for the Blue and Gold and even one that her mother had published in The Register about the most recent vandalism at the high school. The bubbly blond had started running the track before school and practicing for cheerleading even when the rest of the squad took a day off. She did everything she could think of to stay busy. 

The only time that her mind had a chance to wander was at night when she laid in bed. During the time spent alone in her room, she was often haunted by a pair of stormy blue eyes and messy black hair. She wondered if Jughead was doing okay, how he was adjusting to his new school, if he missed her; but she didn’t dare try to text or call him. She refused to give him that satisfaction. She considered asking Archie a few times how Jughead was but every time she talked to the redhead she would chicken out, afraid of what his answer might be. 

What she didn’t know is that Archie wouldn’t be able to tell her because Jughead had barely spoken to him since that night either. Whenever Archie would text or call, Jughead would ignore it and the one time that Archie just showed up at the trailer, the newest serpent had quickly dismissed his visitor by saying he had somewhere to be. In all honesty, Jughead had left the trailer, walked twice around the outskirts of the trailer park to give Archie time to leave and then returned to the solitude of the small building. 

Jughead had successfully managed to distance himself from everyone. He would go to school at Southside High, usually spend the school day in as much solitude as he could manage and then head back to the trailer where he would spend the evening with Hotdog and his laptop. Then he would fall into restless sleep sometime past midnight before starting all over again the next morning. 

His mind often wandered to Betty but he knew that she was better off without him. A few nights, when he was unable to sleep, he would make his way over to her neighborhood and watch as the lights in the Cooper house went out one by one, with Betty’s bedroom light usually being the last one. The only time he ever wanted to contact Archie was to ask if she was doing alright but he knew that if he made any contact with them at all, he would lose his resolve.

~One Month Later~

Betty was jarred from her sleep by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She rolled over to see Veronica’s name on the screen and she knew that something was not right. “V. What’s wrong?” she asked, all of the sleep already gone from her voice.

She was greeted by a small sob on the other end of the phone, then Veronica spoke, her tears evident in her voice, “Betty, Fred’s been shot. I am on my way to the hospital to meet Archie. He just called….” her voice broke, “he said there was so much blood.”

Before Veronica had finished, Betty was off her bed and pulling on a pair of jeans. Her eyes started to water, Fred Andrews was like a father to all of them, one of the best men than Betty knew and the thought of him losing him broke her heart. Her mind flashed to Archie and she almost lost her composure. Then she steeled herself, right now what Archie and Fred and Veronica needed was for her to channel her inner Alice Cooper and take charge. “Okay V,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady, “I will meet you all at the hospital. On my way, I will get in touch with Mary, and Fred’s parents.” She took a deep breath.

Veronica sighed on the other end of the phone, “What about Jughead?” she asked.

Betty knew that her ex-boyfriend would want to know about Fred, would want to be with Archie at the hospital. She felt her heart rate increase as she threw her hair into a messy version of her usual ponytail. “I’ll call him too,” she told Veronica after a breath, “he deserves to know. Veronica, you get to Archie and keep him together. I will be there soon.” With that she hung up the phone and took a few steadying breaths, grabbed her keys off the bedside table and then she started down the stairs and out the front door. 

Before she got to her car, her eyes landed on the Andrew’s house and Veronica’s statement flashed through her mind He said there was so much blood. She made a quick decision and ran up onto their porch, grabbing the spare key from under the doormat and letting herself in. She quickly packed an overnight bag for both of the Andrew’s men before darting back out the door. 

When she reached the car that was parked in her driveway, she was suddenly thankful that her parents had sprung for the hands free device. She scrolled through her contacts before starting the car and turning towards the hospital. Once she had called Archie’s mom and grandparents to fill them in and tell them that she would keep them updated until they could get to Riverdale, she dialed the number that she hadn’t called in over a month.

Jughead’s phone rang and he jumped from his spot on the couch beside Hot Dog. He almost knocked his laptop onto the floor. On the second ring he picked it up and his breath caught in his throat. Betty’s name hadn’t been on that screen in well over a month but something about the sight of it caused his heart to speed up; but he wasn’t sure if it was excitement or nerves.

“Betty?” he answered, his voice laced with confusion.

“Hello Jughead,” Betty replied, her voice sounded formal and it made him cringe, “I just called to tell you that I am on my way to the hospital to meet Archie and Veronica; Fred was shot this morning at Pop’s. I don’t know any details but Veronica said Archie is a mess.” She said everything every fast but with a matter-of-fact tone with no emotion evident. 

He couldn’t breathe. For a second, he couldn’t think. All of the blood drained from his face and Jughead thought he might throw up. He couldn’t speak and after a second, Betty spoke again, “Are you there?” she asked, “Jug are you alright?” her stony demeanour cracked slightly and that broke Jughead from his thoughts.

“Yeah,” he choked, “could you-” he cut off, uncertain if he had the right to even ask her the next question. 

As if she read his mind, something that Betty had always been so damn good at, Betty replied with, “I’m outside now, get dressed so that we can get to the hospital.” Then before he could reply, she had hung up. 

He couldn’t help the wry laugh that passed through his lips as he slipped on a pair of jeans and adjusted his beanie before starting out of the trailer, leave it to Betty Cooper to think of everything. He knew that this car ride was going to be a tense one. 

Betty didn’t know how she knew that Jughead needed a ride but she was certain that he would. As he opened the passenger door he gave her a weak smile, “thanks for the ride, Betts.” He couldn’t help but notice that she made a pained sound at the nickname before giving him a curt nod. She was rigid behind the steering wheel, her knuckles were white where she gripped. She dropped the car into gear and turned towards the hospital that sat in the center of the small town.

The silence in the car was deafening; neither knew what to say. “I can’t believe that Fred was shot...at Pop’s of all places,” he finally said awkwardly, he needed to break the silence with something.

“Yeah. It’s a mess,” was Betty’s only response other than her grip getting impossibly tighter on the steering wheel. Nothing else was said until they pulled in at the hospital; they both jumped out of the car and ran towards the door. Betty’s eyes quickly scanned the small waiting area and landed on Veronica her small arms wrapped around a sobbing and bloody Archie in the corner; she quickly made a B-line towards them; dropping the bags in her hand just as she reached them. 

Veronica looked up at them with a mixture of shock and fear, her eyes darting back and forth between Betty and Jughead in momentary confusion. Then Betty dropped onto the floor in front of Archie, reaching out a hand to comfort her friend; Jughead followed closely behind her and when he settled on the floor, their arms were touching and despite the situation, Betty felt her breathing hitch at the contact.

Once Archie’s sobs slowed, Betty informed him that she had let his family know what was happening and had brought him and his dad an overnight bag if they needed it. The redhead gave her a teary smile, “thanks Betts,” he said and she smiled sadly back at him. “He’s in surgery right now,” the redhead continued, “they said they won’t know anything until that is finished.” Archie sighed and fell back into his chair, his hand finding Veronica’s instinctively.

Jughead hovered nearby, slightly surprised that Archie and Veronica seemed to be an item now and he realized that he had missed some important moments in his friends’ lives over the last few months and he raised his hand to tug nervously at his beanie and let his eyes flutter closed for a split second. He could feel someone’s eyes on him and when he opened his eyes; he was greeted by the intense stare of Betty Cooper’s emerald eyes. She was watching him with an unreadable expression that made Jughead feel incredibly vulnerable and he swallowed hard and then quickly looked away, busying himself with the small tv in the corner that was playing the news.

After a few hours passed being in such close proximity to Betty was beginning to overwhelm him and they still hadn’t heard anything about Fred or his condition. Betty’s phone rang and she bit down her bottom lip before excusing herself and stepping into the hallway to take the call.

She was gone a little longer than Jughead would have expected; finally he cleared his throat and looked at Archie, “Arch, I am going to run grab a cup of coffee from the kitchens, do you need anything?” he asked. He need to find something to busy himself and he wanted an excuse to check on Betty. Archie just shook his head and Jughead gave Veronica a small smile.  
When Jughead stepped into the hallway he heard a familiar sniffle and stepped around a nearby corner to find Betty curled up in the fetal position in the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees her phone clutched in her hand and tears running down her face. He didn’t even think before dropping down beside her and pulling her close. 

“Betts?” He whispered, pressing his cheek against her hair, “hey what is it?” 

Betty melted into him. No matter how much she wanted to keep her distance, this was all becoming too much and his touch was so comforting. She let a few more tears fall before she spoke; “This is just a lot Jug. I am so scared for Fred and for Archie. I feel like I have to be the strong one and keep his mom and grandparents updated so he doesn’t have to,” she sniffled and held up her phone, “that was Mary, she is trying to find a flight from Chicago but the weather is bad there and she wants me to call when we know something…” she paused for a second, “and then there’s you…” she trailed off and considered pulling away from him but couldn’t find the strength.

Jughead listened to her talk about being overwhelmed and was a bit caught off guard when she mentioned him, “me?” he asked, looking at her with a frown.

“I miss you so much Juggie. I thought I was doing okay. I thought I could distract myself and convince myself that I don’t love you anymore but God Jug...how do you just stop loving someone?” she spoke quickly and Jughead was speechless for a moment.

His eyes searched her face, he could see the pain in her eyes but he could also see the love. “Did you just say…” he started, tilting his head to the side.

To his surprise, Betty let out a small laugh, “is it really that hard for you to believe that I love you Jughead?” she asked him, raising one hand to touch his cheek, “I had planned on telling you that night at Pop’s..” she bit her bottom lip, fresh tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she waited for his reply.

All at once, every emotion that he had been stamping down came bubbling to the surface. He raised both hands to cup Betty’s cheeks and he leaned in and kissed her with all of the love and passion he was feeling. He kissed her for as long as his lungs would allow before pulling back and laying his forehead against her’s. He could tell that she was breathless and he smiled gently at her, “I love you too Betty. More than you can imagine. And I am so so sorry for hurting you but you have to know that I had my reasons,” he told her. 

He saw her brow furrow in question so he continued before she even had to ask, “That day, before we met up at Pop’s...me and a few of the Serpents had a run in with a few Ghoulies. They wanted the Serpents to start running their drugs and contrary to what most of Riverdale believes, the Serpents try to avoid anything too harsh so we turned them down...let’s just say that didn’t go over well,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “one of them said that I would pay and another mentioned that I had a pretty little girlfriend that lived in town. They never made any true threats, I might have killed them if they had, but I couldn’t risk putting you in danger…Since then though, some of the older Serpents took care of those guys but by then I figured you had moved on so I just stayed away...” he told her all of this as quickly as he could, praying that she would understand.

“Oh Juggie,” Betty sighed when he finished, shaking her head gently, “you should have just told me. We could have figured something out together.” 

“I know,” Jughead replied, his voice cracking with emotions, “And I’m so sorry that I didn’t.” His eyes pleading for her forgiveness.

Betty chewed on her bottom lip for a second, before her expression softened. After another second, she leaned in and kissed him again, her arms going around his neck, “I love you Juggie,” she told him when she finally broke the kiss.

Jughead smiled, “I love you too Betts,” he told her, “does this mean you forgive me?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she replied with a small smile. 

As he leaned in to kiss her again, the nearby door flew open, revealing a wide-eyed Veronica, “guys!” she exclaimed, “the doctor just came out.”


End file.
